A Freezer Cookbook Review

Several years ago I checked out a bunch of freezer cookbooks from the library and bought a few that I really liked. You can read about my favorites HERE. I’m sure I didn’t explore all that were available, but I did a pretty good sampling. This one recently came to my attention and I checked it out of the library. I thought I’d do a review for you. I hope it will help you decide if it is worth your time or money.

Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook

This is a pretty thick cookbook. It is packed full of recipes and info.

Here are my pros & cons:

Pros

-There seems to be a variety of recipes and not all of them are casseroles. 🙂 There are recipes for beef, chicken, seafood, pork & sausage, meatless meals, soups, pizza, breakfasts, baked goods, and desserts. I probably put a sticky note on about 20 of them that I think I’d like to try or that look different than anything I’ve ever tried.

-The first 60-ish pages are dedicated to teaching the basics of freezer cooking and providing cooking plans. There are many things in these sections that I would tell you too! I liked the tips on what you can and cannot freeze with ideas not just for complete main dishes, but also meal components. I like the tips about proper freezing techniques. I like the suggestion to have a freezer thermometer or freezer alarm.

-There are tips throughout like how to use freezer meals to give to others or to make travel easier.

-The author points out which recipes are gluten-free.

-The author mentions co-op cooking and gives a few basic ideas to get you started. If you want to hear my take on co-op cooking, you can read about it HERE.

Cons

-I’m so so dedicated to showing you how freezer cooking can be simple so that you can be fearless about freezer cooking. The tips and info on the basics take up 60 pages and it made me feel like it made freezer cooking seem too complicated.

-Some of the tips, I just didn’t agree with like storing empty, used (only for baked goods) Ziploc freezer bags in the freezer or the thoughts on “quick freezing”. “Quick freezing” is also known as “flash freezing”. I have had great success at this with berries and energy bites. The author suggests “quick freezing” hamburgers and bacon. I have tried hamburgers and could not get them off the pan….it is much easier to wrap individually, in my opinion.

-Honestly, tips on “freezer cooking with kids” just make it sound hard and complicated to me. The tips are really for when you are going to assemble a lot of meals at once. I do this sometimes for sure, but it is not my favorite way to keep freezer cooking simple so that you are fearless about it.

-Some recipes are more involved than I would like. When I have an involved recipe that I really like, I try to make double or triple of it so I only have to do the hard work one time for several meals.

Last thoughts:

-This seems to be a pretty good cookbook. I am nervous for NEW freezer cooks that the sheer amount of info may be overwhelming.

-I haven’t tried any recipes yet, so I can’t speak to those.

-I will not be purchasing this cookbook for my library. I will write down a few recipes and try them. But for the seasoned freezer cook, there is not any new or amazing info that I need to keep on hand.